Mangochi Police Station has registered a decrease in crime in the first half of 2021 which is a positive development in policing matters, Malawi Muslim Website has learnt.
According to crime report of half of the year (2021) that Malawi Muslim Website has seen, there has been a 16 percent decline in overall crime from January to June 2021.
Mangochi Police Station Spokesperson Amina Tepani Daudi, in the first six months of year 2020 a total of 1,027 criminal cases were recorded while in 2021 the station has registered 886 cases.
Daudi says even though there is a decrease in crime in general, sexual offenses have slightly gone up as in 2020 only 40 cases of defilement were registered compared to 48 which have been reported this year.
“The figures have increased despite efforts by the police and other stakeholders like Social Welfare, Yoneco and World Vision which are aimed at keeping the girl child safe from all kinds of abuse. Meanwhile, the police has noted with great concern that most of the perpetrators of defilement are close relatives especially stepfathers,” Daudi says.
Daudi adds,” The report has also singled out denial/refusal of witnesses to testify in court as one of the challenges in pursuit of justice in court. As a result, perpetrators are acquitted due to lack of concrete evidence. Despite challenges in curbing other offenses, the police successfully recovered some of stolen items, arrested criminals, 272 cases have been completed and 144 perpetrators out of the figures were given stiffer penalties in courts and are serving jail terms. The station is confident and geared to continue in the reduction of the crime as the convictions and imprisonments have played a big role in advocating against crime.”
Daudi says on road accidents, the same period in 2020 Mangochi Police Station registered 73 road accidents and 25 people were reported dead while in 2021, 21 people lost their lives out of 64 road accidents.
“Apart from Traffic Police day and night visibility, the introduction of community traffic wardens in the accident prone areas has also played a bigger role in the reduction of road accidents. Mangochi Police Station has addressed the above crimes by continuing to implement different crime detection and preventative strategies such as an increase in police visibility day and night, strategic points duties, crime prone area based patrols, intelligence gathering, boarder patrols, road safety awareness through the media especially community radios in the district and most importantly the good relationship between the police and members of the public to ease policing,” she says.
Mangochi Police Station is assuring the public that they will continue with the measures to make Mangochi safe.
